Revenge
by Elizabeth Robbins
Summary: CharmedX-Men crossover. The Charmed Ones attend a funeral in Salem Center, New York. Please RR. Now complete
1. Default Chapter

Revenge

A/N: This takes place after the events of UXM 423. I have always believed that Charmed and the X-Men take place in the same universe. Both have strong magic in them.

Summary: The Charmed Ones attend a funeral in Salem Center, New York.

Disclaimers: I don't own the Charmed Ones, Leo, Wyatt, Chris or the X-Men. They are owned by their respective creators. I'm not making any money from their use. I will return them a little banged up but alive.

Chapter 1

San Francisco, California

"May I speak with Paige Matthews?" the cultured baritone voice asked.

"That's me," Paige replied. His voice sounds sexy, she thought.

"My name is Charles Xavier," the beautiful voice continued. Paige was enthralled with the smooth silk of the voice. "I understand you were a friend of Angelo Espinoza. Is that correct?"

"Yeah," she began suspiciously. "Wait a minute. What do you mean 'was'?"

"I'm sorry, my dear," his voice full of sympathy.

"Oh god," she breathed, pain filling her voice. "What happened?"

"…….."

"What happened?" her voice hardened.

"He was crucified," the man said in a sad, defeated tone.

"WHAT?" she yelled. She heard the thunder of running feet from upstairs as her sisters reacted to her holler. In the distance, from Piper's room, a baby began to cry. "What do you mean 'crucified'? Who crucifies people now a days?"

"Crucified?" Phoebe gasped from the landing on the stairs.

"LEO!" Piper yelled. A blue-white light stream appeared beside her. The tall form of her husband appeared as the light faded. "Can you take care of the boys? Something has happened."

"Sure," he agreed. The lights streamed over him and he disappeared.

Paige was becoming more and more upset as she listened to the caller. Color drained from her face as the details were explained to her. She dropped the phone as she slid down the wall to the floor, tears of shock slipping down her pale skin. Piper rushed over to her youngest sister and wrapped her arms around her in an attempt to hold off the demon attacking the young woman's heart.

Phoebe grabbed the phone. "I'm sorry," she told the caller. "Paige isn't handling this very well."

Piper watched as Phoebe listened to the story, her eyes hardening as the caller continued. "Who did this?" she demanded her voice rough with anger. Her eyes widened as she got her answer. "How can a church do something like that?" Phoebe's face reddened in anger. "We'll be there. Thank you for calling." she hung up the phone and turned to her sisters.

"Something evil is going on in Salem Center, New York." she told Piper. "Let's get Paige to bed. We need to talk."

Phoebe and Piper got their shocked sister to bed, tucking her in with kisses and assurance that this deed wouldn't go unpunished. They closed the door with a soft click and fell into each others arms. It was then they realized they were trembling. Paige's collapse has frightened them badly. She had faced down several demons on her own and never blinked. The horrifying death of her friend had hit her hard. Arm in arm, they descended the stairs and went to the parlor.

They flopped onto the sofa and curled in each others arms.

"What happened?" Piper asked softly, dreading the answer.

"A friend of Paige's was crucified last night in Salem Center New York," Phoebe began. "He was one of several people killed. According to the owner of the property they were found on, there was only one survivor. He says that a religious group called the Church of Humanity was responsible."

Piper laid her head on the younger woman's shoulder. "Who are the Church of Humanity?" she asked.

"They're a cult on the east coast," Leo answered as he walked into the room. "I don't know that much about them, just that they deal in hate." He sat down beside his wife and gathered both women in his arms. "What did they do that has Paige so upset?"

"They crucified a friend of hers," Piper told him with a shudder. He stiffened and his arms tightened around the women. "Uh, Leo?" Piper said in a strangled voice. "Need air here."

"Oh," he said startled. "Sorry." He relaxed his hold and the two women took deep breaths. "I can't believe that we haven't heard about this on the news."

"Mr. Xavier said they didn't call the police for reasons he couldn't go into," Phoebe told them. "I think we may have a demon in that area and we need to check it out."

"You don't know that, Phoebe," Leo cautioned her. "You can't go barging in like a knight in shinning armor out to vanquish the demon. We need more information."

"Who is this friend of hers anyway?" Piper asked.

"His name was Angelo Espinosa," Paige told them from the door. "He kept me alive after my parents were killed."

"Honey, you shouldn't be out of bed," Piper said as she got up and went over to the shaking woman. Gathering her into her arms, she lead the girl to the sofa and sat her down beside Phoebe. Curling up on Paige's other side, the three sisters comforted each other as they had done so may times before.

"I'm fine," Paige assured them with a sniff. "I need to tell you why he was so important to me." Leo moved behind the group and slithered his arms around Paige and hugged her warmly. She laid her cheek on his arm and sighed. "Angelo and I met in LA a week after my parents died in the wreck. I couldn't stay in San Fran. The pain was too much so I ran. He was in a street gang that ruled the area I was in. They found me one night, sleeping in a abandoned house and were going to kill me. Angelo saw how depressed I was and took me under his wing. He protected me from the others in the gang and made sure I ate. He taught me how to survive on the streets. If it wasn't for him, I would have died in the first month. After a while, he convinced me to go home and face my fears. It wasn't long after I came back that I found you guys. He made me what I am today. If I didn't understand what it is to live on the streets, I would have never become a Social Worker." She gave Leo's arm a kiss and lifted her head. "I wouldn't be the witch I am today without him." she said softly, tears streaming down her face.

The room was silent except for the weeping of the youngest Charmed One. "I miss him," she whispered.

"I know, Sweetie," Phoebe said as she stroked Paige's hair. "We'll go to Salem Center for the funeral and stay for a while. It won't hurt to find out exactly what is going on there." She looked at Leo defiantly, daring him to comment.

One by one, all three sisters turned their eyes toward Leo. He held his arms up in defeat. He knew better that to argue when they wanted something. "Alright," he said. "I'll watch the boys but I want you to be careful."

Paige jumped up and hugged her brother-in-law. "Thanks Leo," she said with a watery smile. "I need my sisters with me."

"I know," he said as he hugged her back. 


	2. Chapter 2

Revenge

Disclaimers: I own nothing. They belong to their respective creators. Not making any money.

A/N: Leo is still a Whitelighter. It is six months after the birth of Chris. Gideon is dead by Leo's hand but the Elders don't know that. This story takes place shortly after the events of UXM 423.

telepathic speech.

Chapter 2

Salem Center, New York

Three columns of blue-white light descended onto the dew dampened grass and coalesced into three beautiful women. They turned in a slow circle looking at the ground, searching.

"Over here," Piper called as she went toward the trees and bent down to inspect the ground.

"Looks like four, maybe more," she told them as she fingered the disturbed ground. "Let's see if we can find something Phoebe can get a premonition from."

She suddenly felt like they were being watched. "Phoebe?" she said in a low voice as she straightened.

"I feel it," she said, here eyes scanning the trees.

"What is it?" Paige asked quietly.

"We're being watched," Phoebe said coldly, ready for battle. A low growl came from the trees.

Suddenly, there was a rustle of leaves as something exploded from the trees. Phoebe leapt up in a whirl and kicked out at the attacking figure. Her foot connected with a solid mass and a jolt went through her like she had never felt before. She felt her ankle break with a sickening snap. She landed on the ground in an inelegant heap, moaning in pain. She watched the figure do an impossible flip in the air and land on it's feet, metal flashing in the moonlight. "Piper," she yelled. Piper flicked out her hands and the figure froze.

"You okay Phoebe?' Paige asked as she ran over to her sister.

"I think my ankle is broken," she gasped. "What is that thing?"

"It's a man," Piper said as she walked around the still figure. "He looks pissed."

"I thought it was a bear," Paige said.

"Look at his hands guys," Paige said in awe. "He has metal claws coming out of his hands."

"Who are you," a new voice asked from behind them, "and what have you done to Wolverine?"

The women whirled around to see a group of people standing defensively in an arc about ten feet from them.

"Who are you," a tall man with strange glasses asked again.

"I'm Paige Matthews," Paige said as she stepped forward. "These are my sisters, Piper and Phoebe Halliwell. We came for Angelo's funeral." The man flinched at the mention of Angelo's name.

"What have you done to Wolverine?" a beautiful black woman with white hair asked.

"Scott, I can't feel his mind," a statuesque redhead gasped.

"I'm holding him in a moment of time," Piper told them. "He's alive."

"Why did he attack us?" Phoebe asked.

"Logan has been twitchy since this morning," the redhead said. "The most important person in his life was badly injured in the attack that killed Angelo."

"She was killed, Jean," the tall man qualified. "If it wasn't for Warren, she wouldn't have survived."

A pretty girl with red and white hair was examining Wolverine closely. "Ah recognize that look," she said with a thick southern accent. "Y'all can't let him loose yet. He's deep in the feral."

"Crap," the tall man swore. "Rogue, get Jubilee. She's going to have to bring him around." And to the astonishment of the three witches, the girl rose and flew away.

"What are you people?" Piper asked in a shaky voice.

"We could ask the same of you," the tall man said. The sisters looked at each other. "How long will he stay that way?'

"Until I release him," Piper told him.

"I know we're early and trespassing," Paige said, "but Angelo was the most important person in my life for two years. He saved my skin more times than I can count. I want to make sure the people responsible get what's coming to them."

A whoosh of air signaled the return of Rogue. She had a pretty, asian teenager in her arms. She set the girl gently on the ground in front of the frozen man. She was pale and obviously in pain.

"Oh Wolvie," the girl whispered sadly placing her hands on his cheeks. She leaned forward and kissed his forehead.

"Rogue, I protest," called a figure that was racing toward the group on all fours. The witches gasped and stepped back in alarm. The rapidly approaching figure was very large and hairy. Piper could have sworn that she saw blue fur all over him as he passed through a pool of light. She raised her hands, ready to blast him when the tall man stopped her.

"Wait," he yelled. "That's Hank, our doctor." The blue man skidded to a stop near the group.

"She needs to be in the Med Lab," the blue man growled.

"What the hell are you people," Piper cried.

"We're mutants chere," a soft Cajun voice came from the shadows. The man stepped into the light, revealing his red on black eyes. "Humans with an extra gene that gives us powers." He walked slowly up to Piper. Taking her hand in both of his, he stroked her wrist lightly. "Name's Remy LaBeau," He said softly "You can call me Gambit." He kissed the inside of her wrist with warm lips.

His voice was as smooth as hundred year old Scotch and just as intoxicating. Piper shivered with desire. Shaking her head to clear it, she stepped back saying one word, "Married."

"He's a lucky man," Gambit drawled, dropping her hand.

"Remy LaBeau, you keep your cheatin' lips off those women," Rogue snarled.

"What do you care?" he snapped back. "You don' want 'em." It was an off week for them. The rest of the group moaned.

"This is not the time to air our dirty laundry," the tall man warned them.

"People," Phoebe took the role of voice of reason. "We have a couple of things to take care of." She waited until all eyes were on her. "First of all, we have to do something about this poor, frozen man. He can't stay this way forever. Next, he has a very hard chest and I think my ankle is broken."

"Oh dear," the blue man said as he stooped beside her. "If you would trust me to see to your injury, I will take you to the Med Lab for treatment."

Phoebe doesn't trust looks alone, not after Cole. She looked into the furry blue doctor's eyes and saw the kindness in him. She smiled and raised her arms. Picking her up, Hank nodded to the tall man with the strange glasses and left the group. "One of the team will take you to the Med Lab after you finish here," he called as he raced back to the house.

The tall man turned back to the witches. "You'd better stand over here. We can't give him a target." The two remaining sisters walked over to the group.

"Would it help if I unfroze just his head?" Piper asked.

"Would it ever," the tall man said thankfully.

"She could give him her scent without worrying that he might attack," Jean agreed.

"Everyone over here," the tall man ordered. Rogue and Gambit joined the group, standing as far away from each other as they could. "Jubilee?" he said with a nod. The girl took a position five feet in front of the frozen man. When the man nodded, Piper unfroze his head.

A growling snarl filled the air. The hairs on Piper's arms rose in fear.

Don't be afraid, a voice filled her mind. He can smell fear.

Piper's head whipped around, looking for the voice. The woman, Jean, smiled and nodded her head.

"Wolvie?" the girl said softly, walking slowly toward the man.

'Isn't she afraid?' Piper thought.

Jubilee has nothing to fear from Wolverine, the voice assured her. He would never hurt her.

'How do you know that?' she sent.

She is his lifeline Jean told her. She is the only one who can bring him back. Just watch

Piper watched as the girl walked ever so slowly closer to the growling man. The she did something astounding. She knelt in front of him and bent forward, placing her neck against his snarling mouth. Piper's heart leapt into her throat. She heard Paige gasp

Watch

The growling softened as the man sniffed the exposed neck. "It's me Wolvie," she said quietly. The man sniffed deeply. "Come on. Come back to me."

"Jubilee?" a low growling voice asked.

You can let him go now

'Are you sure?'

Yes, Jean told her. If you don't let her go, he can't touch her. He won't be completely back until he can hold her in his arms.

'Okay," she sent back and with a flick of her hands, the spell was ended. The man engulfed the tiny girl in his huge arms. The group let out their collective breaths as one.

"I guess introductions are in order," Jean said with a smile. "I'm Jean Grey-Summers. This is my husband Scott, also called Cyclops." She grabbed the hand of the tall man with the funky glasses. "That is Ororo Munroe or Storm," she pointed to the tall black woman with the white hair. "Remy LaBeau you met, and this is Rogue. The furry blue man is our doctor, Hank McCoy. The savior today is Jubilation Lee or Jubilee. The hairy guy that attacked you is Logan or Wolverine. The others, you'll meet tomorrow."

"As Gambit said," Scott remarked, "we are mutants. My question is what are you?"

"I'm Piper Halliwell. That is my sister, Paige Matthews. The doctor took my sister, Phoebe," She took a deep breath and let it out in a rush. "We are witches."

"Da Charmed Ones?" Gambit said in awe. Piper nodded her head.

"Who are the Charmed Ones," Scott asked in confusion.

"Da most powerful witches magic has ever produced," Remy told him. "Dey are charged with da protection of innocents all over de world."

"Aren't witches evil?" Rogue asked.

"Non," Gambit replied excitedly. "Witches are good. Dey's balance for da evil in da world. If da Charmed Ones have come into da world, den dere's a powerful evil comin' too."

"Oh, terrific," Jean moaned. "Just what we need. Something else they can blame on mutants."

"Is this true?" Scott demanded. "Is there a supernatural evil coming?"

"Maybe," Piper admitted. "We're not sure if it's coming or has already come. We vanquished the Source of all Evil twice but evil keeps coming."

"How can ya vanquish someone twice, Sugah?" Rogue asked. "That don't make sense."

"The first time, it was a cloaked guy with bad breath," she told them. "He passed his powers on to someone else. The second time," she paused. "The second time, he was Phoebe's husband."

Scott cleared his throat, uncomfortable with the silence. "Let's get you some rooms." he turned and walked toward the house, Piper in tow.

Paige was watching Jubilee and Logan as they touched and talked to each other, alone in their own world. The love she saw was similar to what she had with her sisters. Total love, total trust. She was glad. Her sisters were her source of strength. She loved them both madly and trusted them with her life. She was happy that their relationship wasn't unique.

"They have a special relationship," Ororo remarked her as she came up behind her.

"Are they lovers?" Paige asked.

"Not as far as we know," Ororo said. "I wouldn't be surprised if they do become lovers when Jubilee is a little older." She took Paige's arm and directed her to the house.

"Isn't he too old for her?" she said as they walked up the broad expanse of lawn.

"Jubilee will age, Logan will not."

"I don't understand."

"Logan's mutation is a healing factor that allows him to recover from what are usually fatal wounds," Ororo explained. "It also retards his aging. We have decided that he was born sometime in the late eighteen hundreds."

"Are you serious?" Paige gasped. "That would make him over one hundred years old."

"Yes," Ororo said with a smile. "He has memories…" she stopped with a gasp of surprise.

A column of blue-white light descended on front of the two women. Paige recognized it instantly as an orb signature. The light coalesced into a small boy about two years old.

"Wyatt," she exclaimed. "Where's your father?" She gathered him up in her arms. He was shaking and whimpering in fear. "Piper," She yelled.

Piper ran back to where her sister stood holding the terrified toddler. "Leo," she yelled. A second column of light dropped next to her and resolved into her husband, her youngest son in his arms.

"Darklighter," he said. Both witches were instantly on guard. Not two seconds later, a cloud of smoke appeared near Logan and Jubilee.

"We have an agreement," Piper yelled at him as the figure appeared from the smoke. "My children are off limits."

"Who says I'm after the children, witch," he sneered as a black cross bow shimmered into existence in his hand. He took careful aim at Paige. A roar behind him mad him whirl around. A powerful, hairy body slammed into the surprised demon, his bolt biting deeply in the flesh of left shoulder of his attacker. Wolverine howled in pain as the toxins and dark magic ate at his flesh. The Darklighter jumped up and shimmered another bolt but it was too late. Piper blasted him away with a flick of her hands.

"Handy power," Jubilee remarked impressed. She crawled over to Wolverine and examined the bolt. "Okay Wolvie. Lets get this thing out so ya can heal." she pulled at the arrow. Logan's right hand came up and helped her. With both of them pulling, the bolt popped loose. He hissed in pain. Blood sprayed from the wound surprising both of them. "Why isn't it healing?" Jubilee asked concerned.

"It's a magical wound," Leo said as he handed the baby to Piper and dropped to their side. "He can't heal it alone." Placing his hands over the wound, Leo concentrated on the healing. A golden glowing light flowed from under his hands. Logan felt a warmth spreading from his shoulder to the rest of his body. He felt loved and cared for.

The glow died as Logan opened his eyes. "Leo Wyatt?" he asked astonished. "Is that you?"

Leo looked closely at the face. "Sgt. Logan?"

"I thought you were dead," they both said.

"We don't have time for this," Piper said as she shifted the baby to her hip. "There may be more out there. Paige, go to the house and see about setting the wards. Leo, get inside. You're a sitting duck out here. Let's go people." The group jumped up and ran for the house. Ororo took to the air. Logan swept Jubilee into his arms and raced past them at an astounding speed. Leo grabbed the baby from Piper's arms, leaving her free to defend the group as they ran for safety. 


	3. Chapter 3

Revenge

A/N: This story takes place after the events of UXM 423. Leo is still a Whitelighter. Gideon is dead by Leo's hand but the Elders don't know yet. Chris is six months old.

Disclaimers: I don't own em. I'm just borrowing them for my own evil purposes. I'll return them in time for dinner.

Chapter 3

The massive doors slammed behind them as the group ran into the house. Paige and Piper skidded to a stop in astonishment. The place was huge. Expensive antiques were scattered around the room decorously. The wood floors had the patina of extreme age. 'This isn't a house, it's a mansion.' Paige thought. 'Wow,' Piper thought, 'old money.' Only Leo seem unaffected by the grandeur. He handed the baby to his wife with a smile.

"I have to go," he apologized. "Phoebe's calling." He disappeared in a column of light.

"Phoebe," Piper gasped in dismay. She forgot that her sister was hurt.

"You go," Paige told her. "I'll set the wards and meet you later." She swung her backpack off and opened it. Digging through, she came up with a paper wrapped package and looked up at Ororo, her eyes wide. "I hope I have enough to cover this monstrosity. This place is huge."

Piper turned to Scott. "Where?" she asked.

"I'll take you," Jean said. "Scott, the Professor is asking for a report."

"Okay," he said. "Welcome to the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters." he said to Piper with a wry grin as he climbed the stairs.

"This way," Jean indicated with her hand. Piper followed her to a panel halfway down a well lit hall. Jean punched a code into the keypad mounted on the wall. The panel slid back to reveal a gleaming steel elevator in sharp contrast to the aged wood of the hall. They stepped in and Jean pressed a code on the inner keypad. The door closed with a swish.

"So, what is a Darklighter?" Jean asked.

"It's a demon," Piper explained. "The opposite of a Whitelighter."

"And a Whitelighter is…" Jean prompted.

"A Whitelighter is kind of a guardian angel, but not really," she tried to explain. "It's hard to explain to someone who isn't a witch."

"Oh," Jean said in confusion. "And this Darklighter was after Leo?"

"Leo's our Whitelighter and my husband," Piper said proudly. "This cutie is our son, Chris." She hitched the baby higher on her hip. "The wandering mop head is his brother, Wyatt." The doors opened with a swoosh and she found herself in a metal lined hall that appeared to go on forever. She followed Jean as she walked down the hall. She noticed several large industrial looking doors that had stylized X's across them. Small signs labeled the doors. She didn't take time to read them all but one caught her eye. The room was labeled 'Danger Room'.

'What the hell kind of place is this?' she thought, worried.

Jean led her through one of the X'd doors where she found herself in a large room. Beds lined the walls. Glass enclosed rooms jutted off in an irregular pattern. Equipment that she couldn't begin to recognize stood beside each bed. Logan and Jubilee were curled up on one of the beds. She was asleep. He was glaring sourly at the occupant of the bed across the room.

Phoebe was arguing with the fuzzy blue doctor standing at the side of her bed. Leo was at the head of the bed looking resigned.

"I'm telling you," she growled angrily, "I'm fine. Leo healed me."

"I would still like to run some tests to be sure," he defended himself. "A fracture such as the one you suffered can damage the nerves of the leg. That kind of damage can take time to become apparent. It could cripple you for life. If there is damage, I will need to correct it quickly."

"There isn't any damage," her temper snapped. Jubilee started as Logan growled in annoyance.

"She's right," Piper said from behind them.

"Piper, thank God," Phoebe exhaled. "Tell him that I'm okay."

"She's fine," Piper assured the doctor. "Let him take another X-Ray, Phoebe. That will make him feel better," she told her sister. Phoebe pouted but agreed to the X-Ray. "Leo, can you take Chris?"

Leo took his youngest son from his mothers arms and kissed him on the top of his head. The baby's eyes were drooping in exhaustion as he laid his head on his father's shoulder. It had been a long day.

"I'll show you to a guest room," Jean said as she took his elbow. "I'm sure we have a crib somewhere around here." Piper watched as they left the lab.

She watched Logan and Jubilee for a while. That he would kill for the girl was immediately apparent. Why, was not. They weren't related by blood, that much was obvious. She didn't get the feeling that they were involved sexually. So if she wasn't his daughter and they weren't lovers, why was he so protective, even in the safety of a hospital setting? Jubilee was obviously the survivor of the crucifixion that killed Paige's friend, Angelo. How was it that she was able to withstand such brutal treatment and live? She need to ask the girl some questions. Given the small man's fierce guardianship of the teen, Piper thought it best to go though him. She didn't want to have his anger directed at her.

"Can I talk to you?" she asked him. He got up with the girl in his arms.

"I'll be back," he told her as he placed her carefully back on the bed. "Try and get some sleep." he kissed her softly on the top of her head.

"I wanna go to my room," she whined sleepily.

"Tomorrow darlin'. Hank wants ya ta stay here for the night,"

"K," she agreed with a yawn. "I'll behave." He turned and grabbed Piper's elbow with a rough hand, pulling her out of the lab. He released her in the hall and glared into her eyes.

"Who are ya and what are ya doin' here?" he hissed.

"Paige was a friend of Angelo Espinoza's," she explained to him. "He took care of her after her parents were killed in an accident when she was seventeen. She cared for him, a lot. When we heard how he died, we were sure that some evil had moved into the area. If a demon is responsible for what happened, I plan to vanquish it in the bloodiest, most painful way possible."

"What would ya know about demons," he demanded.

"We're witches," she said. "We've vanquished more demons that you would ever believe."

"I've fought demons before," he growled. "They ain't easy ta kill."

"Some aren't," she agreed. "The ones that can cause this kind of carnage are very powerful and may need the Power of Three. The use of a religious symbol such as a crucifix is not uncommon when it comes to demons. I think that there may be a major demon involved in what happened to your friend."

Pain and guilt flashed across his face. "I should have been there ta protect her," he whispered slumping against the wall.

"Against a major demon?" she admonished. "It would have killed you both."

"And you think ya can defeat this demon?" he asked, eyes narrow in suspicion.

"As long as I know what demon I'm dealing with and I have my sisters with me, yeah."

"Ya have ta prove it ta me," he grunted as the lab door opened. Phoebe skipped out in a happy mood.

"All cured," she cried. "Hey," she greeted Logan.

"The Power of Three isn't for play," Piper cautioned. "It's only used as a last resort. No demon has survived it's use." Logan grunted in agreement.

"Yer strong, kid," he said to Phoebe, "but yer technique sucks. Come and see me if ya want ta improve." He slipped through the door and back into the lab.

"Did he just call me 'Kid'?" Phoebe demanded, astonished.

"Yeah," Piper giggled. "He did." She slipped her arm through Phoebe's and they started walking to the elevator.

"It's not funny, Piper," she said, angry.

"Face it, Sweetie," she told her. "You're tiny. Everyone thinks you're a kid."

"It's not fair….Whoa," she stopped suddenly, her mouth open in surprise. Piper glanced up to see what had surprised her sister. Her mouth dropped open as well.

The most beautiful man she had ever seen was standing in the open doors of the elevator. He was very tall, wearing expensively cut khaki trousers and no shirt. His chest was hard, well muscled and cobalt blue. He had the face of a model with chiseled cheek bones and sun lightened blond hair. But his most arresting feature was the downy white wings that arched over his shoulders, trailing behind him almost to the ground. He was a living, breathing angel. Phoebe was in lust.

"Ladies," his voice was angelic as well. Phoebe felt her knees turn to Jell-O. "Warren Worthington the Third." he introduced himself.

"Yeah," Phoebe gushed, a silly grin on her face. Piper elbowed her in the ribs, bring her back to reality.

"Piper Halliwell," she said. "The slobbering mess here is my sister, Phoebe."

"Please to meet you," He said in a distracted tone.

"Like wise, I'm sure," Phoebe breathed.

"Well," Piper said with a laugh, "we gotta go." she shoved Phoebe into the elevator and the doors closed.

"Wow!" Phoebe exclaimed as she slid down the wall.

"Is this where all the beautiful men gather?" Piper demanded. "First Logan, then Remy and Scott. Now Warren."

"We live on the wrong side of the country," Phoebe said. "We need to move."

They found their way to their rooms with the help of Jean. Exhausted and lost, they fell into their beds and fell asleep. Paige banged the door open to the room she shared with Phoebe two hours after the others went to bed.

"Three hours!" she exclaimed. "It took me three hours to set the wards. This place is enormous. Do you realize there's an airplane hanger under the basketball court? I had to ward it separate from the rest of the house because the door is in the roof. They have a stealth jet that takes off straight up! This is the strangest place I have ever seen. And that includes all the underworld chambers I've been in."

"You done?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah," she sighed.

"Go to sleep," Phoebe said turning over. "I want to get up early for a run in the morning." Paige flopped onto the bed with an exhausted whoosh. She was asleep in less than two minutes, too tired to get out of her clothes.

Phoebe was up shortly after sunrise the next morning. Changing into her workout clothes, she looked out the window and saw Logan making his way across the lawn to the lake in the distance. Grabbing her exercise mat and a towel, she ran out the door.

She caught up with him just as he bent to spread his mat on the ground.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked as she approached.

"Yer Phoebe right?" She nodded. "Ya know the Kata?" he asked.

"Oh, good," she was relieved. "I was hoping you weren't going to do aerobics or something dancey like that. I'm very familiar with the Kata."

He bowed her over to his side. She spread her own mat and stepped to the middle. Taking a deep breath, she centered herself and exhaled, beginning the Kata. They went through the figures twice. She began to feel more alive, her muscles burning as she stretched. She was in heaven. She loved doing her exercises with someone who understood the meaning behind the figures. Her sisters didn't share her interest. Cole was the last person she had shared this part of her life with. Having Logan beside her felt right.

She noticed that his timing was slightly off as if he was distracted.

"Are you all right?" she asked. "Your mind doesn't appear to be with you today."

He hesitated before answering. "Jubilee slipped into a coma last night," he said sadly. "It wouldn't have happened if she hadn't needed ta pull me outta the feral."

"So you think you should have stayed that way until she was better?" He nodded. "That's stupid." His head snapped up in anger. "She wouldn't want you to stay like that."

"How would you know?" he snapped.

"I watched you two last night," she said unafraid. "She loves you, and you love her."

"It's more than just love," he said roughly. "She's everything ta me. She's my lifeline, my heart, my soul. Without her, I'm just an animal."

Phoebe had never heard anything more beautiful in her life. "You're lucky," she whispered as a tear fell down her cheek. "I had that once but it wasn't meant to be."

"Yer husband?" he asked. Phoebe nodded. "What happened?"

"We vanquished him," she said quietly.

"He was a demon?" Logan asked in shock.

"He was the Source of all Evil," she said her voice rough in remembered pain. She grabbed her mat and towel and fled to the house.

Logan watched her leave in stunned silence. 


	4. Chapter 4

Revenge

A/N: This story takes place shortly after the events of UXM 423. Leo is still a Whitelighter. Gideon is dead by Leo's hand but the Elders don't know yet. Chris is 6 months old. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Reviews are the warm fuzzy of fanfic.

Disclaimers: Not mine. Never will be mine (mores the pity). Not making any money. Don't sue. I am interested in leasing Wolvie. (As long as he makes house calls.) Give me a call. 

telepathic conversation.

Chapter 4

Ten o'clock found the sisters sitting in the well appointed office of the headmaster of the school. He was a distinguished older gentleman with a shiny bald head who bore a striking resemblance to Captain Piccard from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Paige found it difficult to get the thought out of her head. She had a feeling that Charles Xavier knew what she was thinking. He kept giving her strange looks when her sisters were talking.

"I understand from Scott that you are aware that we are mutants," he said delicately. "Does this make you uncomfortable?"

The sisters looked at each other in confusion. "Does it bother you that we're witches?" Piper countered.

"It does bother me," he admitted. "I was raised to believe that witches are inherently evil. It's difficult to overcome a life long prejudice."

"We're from California," Phoebe said. "We see strange things walking down the street every day ."

"Weirdness doesn't bother us," Paige chimed in. "If it did, we wouldn't be able to live with each other in the same house."

"A week can't go by without some demon appearing in our front hall and blowing up the Grandfather clock," Piper said dryly. "Believe me, as long as they don't break into our house and tear up the furniture, we have no problems with mutants."

"That is reassuring," Charles said with relief. "I will work on my own preconceived views on witches."

"That's all we ask," Phoebe said.

"I understand that you believe that a demon my have been involved in the death of Mr. Espinoza and the injury of Jubilee. Can you tell me why you think this?"

"The method of his murder is suspicious," Phoebe told him. "The underworld leaders are not reluctant to use religious symbols as a way of terrifying humans. They thrive on the fear and hatred that these symbols can generate. I can't believe this church would use such a powerful symbol of faith to kill people they hate so much without being influenced. They wouldn't want to honor them in that way."

"I hadn't thought of it in that way," he said slowly. "It does seem unlikely. I'm not a theologian but we do have an ex-priest here that can give us his view on the idea."

"We would appreciate any help we can get," Paige said. "I want to find the thing responsible and vanquish it." Her eyes were hard with anger.

A sudden BAMF mad the women jump with a squeak of surprise. The stench of sulpher and brimstone fill the room. All three leapt from their chairs and turned waving their hands in front of their faces.

"Wow, that's rank," Piper exclaimed. She flushed with embarrassment as they were introduced to a dark blue, furry, elfin man who's tail flash behind him in agitation.

"Ladies," Charles said smiling. "this is Kurt Wagoner, also called Nightcrawler. He is our resident theologian."

"Oh good," Phoebe said happily. She rushed over to Kurt and slipped her arm through his. "We need to talk. Oh, you're soft. See you guys later," she said as she waved to her sisters as she left the room with the blue man. The others waved to her and sat down again.

"Don't you find his appearance demonic?" Charles asked.

"We've seen demons," Paige assured him. "They look just like us. We couldn't possibly be afraid of a little blue elf."

"Fair enough," Charles agreed. "Tell me, what is this Darklighter that attacked last night?"

"He was after Paige," Piper told him. "She's half Whitelighter so she is susceptible to a Darklighter bolt. Phoebe and I are of different blood. We may die if he gets lucky and hits our hearts but the poison and the dark magic doesn't affect us."

"Can one get that lucky?" he asked.

"Darklighters are notoriously poor shots," Paige said. "Piper and Phoebe are safe as long as they deep moving when one is near. I can always orb away."

"Orb?"

"Like this," she demonstrated by orbing from her chair to a spot behind him.

"Like teleporting without the smell," he said delighted.

"Kind of," she agreed as she returned to her chair. "As long as I'm in the light stream, I can't be touched. Everything passes through."

"It is a very effective defense," he remarked. "Do you have any other powers?"

"Not yet," she admitted. "I haven't had my powers as long as my sisters."

"It took years for our powers to develop," Piper explained. "We are still somewhat new to magic and we haven't fully developed our powers yet. Phoebe learned to levitate only last year."

"How can we help your search?" he asked leaning back in his chair.

"We need something that Phoebe can use to induce a premonition," Piper said. "If we can see the murder, we may be able to see the demon that influenced it."

"The clothes they were wearing have been destroyed," He said as he wheeled away from the desk. "but I think the wood used for the crosses is in the garage. I'll have someone take you out there."

They nearly collided with Logan as they left the office.

"Logan," Charles said surprised. "I didn't expect you to leave the Med Lab for a few more days. How is Jubilee?"

"Fly-boy gave her another two units of blood," he said exhausted. "She's stable right now but she's still in a coma. She ain't gonna make the funeral."

"You'll have to give her a blow by blow when she wakes up," Charles told him. "Could you please take Piper and Paige to the garage. The need a piece of the cross." Logan opened his mouth to protest.

"Actually," Piper stopped him, "it would be better if we don't touch it. Phoebe will get a clearer vision if it's not handled too much."

"I'll have Kurt bring her down," he said as he closed his eyes in concentration.

"Come on," Logan said testily. He escorted them to the garage. As he opened the door from the kitchen into the garage, Piper and Paige couldn't help but gasp. The room was filled with beautiful cars, any one of which would cost more than their house. Mazaratti's, BMW's Mercedes, even a vintage Rolls Royce, but what really drew their eyes was the Harley sitting near the big doors in the front of the garage. They wound their way toward the bike as if pulled by magic.

"Ooooh," Piper groaned. She reached out to touch it.

"Keep yer hands off my scoot," Logan barked.

"This is yours?" she asked in awe.

"Yeah," he growled. "I don't let anyone but Jubes touch it."

"I'll give you my children for a ride," she said half seriously.

"What'll I do with a coupla little boys?" he snickered.

"Wyatt will be a very powerful witch," she told him still lusting over the motorcycle.

"The wood's over here," he grabbed Piper's arm and dragged her away from his precious bike. Paige followed.

The door opened and Phoebe and Kurt walked into the garage. "Whatcha got?" she asked the room. Logan flipped the cover off a pile of wood stacked against the wall.

"This is it huh," Phoebe said as she stooped beside the stack.

"Yeah," Logan said with a catch in his voice.

"Which one was Jubilee on?" Logan sniffed the stack and pointed to a board near the top. "And Angelo?" Logan pointed to the top board. "I get clearer visions when the subject is alive. The dead tend to pull me in." She turned to Piper. "If the vision goes on too long, pull me back." Piper nodded.

She reached out to the stack and stopped. Logan had to smell her fear, she thought. She had never been frightened of a vision before but the brutality of the crime scared her. Taking a deep breath, she gathered her nerve and reached out. The vision flooded through her, angry, hot, hostile, fear, pain, death. The vision ended suddenly. Looking up she found her wrist encircled by Logan's thick hand, a look of pain on his face. She threw herself into his arms, weeping hysterically. The vision rewound itself in her head and replayed in all it's horror. She tore herself from his arms, ran to the corner of the garage and vomited.

A hand stroking her back made her jump in fright. She was too close to the shelves and her head collided sickenly with the bottom of the steel shelf. She slipped to the floor with a moan. Logan lifted her into his arms and started for the door. Before he got there, it slammed open and Scott barged through in a panic.

"She's broadcasting the vision to the entire mansion," he almost screamed into Logan's sensitive ears. Scott was getting an echo of it from his link with Jean. That was bad enough. Jean was in the kitchen bathroom, throwing up.

"Let's get her to Hank," Logan winced in pain from the yelling. "She'll need to be sedated."

Logan strode quickly through the halls, down the elevator and into the Med Lab, Piper and Paige chattering anxiously behind him. Phoebe's visions usually lasted a second or less. This one had gone on for nearly ten seconds before the scent of her panic had made him break the connection. Logan was near panic himself. If the vision of what had happened had affected her this badly, how much worse has it been affecting Jubilee?

"She's broadcasting some bad stuff, Blue," he told Hank as he entered the lab.

"Put her in there and raise the shields," he pointed to a small, glassed in room. He ran off to collect supplies.

Logan squeezed though the door and placed Phoebe gently on the bed. He closed the door behind him as he left and went to the keypad on the wall. He punched in some numbers and the door hummed and clicked. Hank rushed back to the room and went through the humming door with a crackle.

"Ya need ta wait out here," he told the sisters. "Blue will need ta look at her first. This room will keep her from broadcasting her vision ta the telepaths in the mansion." Piper nodded, her eyes wide with fright. Paige didn't acknowledge Logans instructions. She watched her unconscious sister with angry eyes.

"I'll kill it," she growled. "I'll kill it slow and painfully."

"I'm with ya there, darlin'," Logan agreed. He left them to keep watch over the unconscious witch and returned to Jubilee's side. He sat in the chair at her bedside and lifted her hand gently into his.

"Ah darlin'," he sighed. "What have they done ta ya?"

"It was bad, Wolverine." His head snapped up to see Rachel Grey coming out of the bathroom, wiping her mouth. "She'll need a lot of help for the next few months. She's retreated to a small corner of her mind in self defense."

"Did ya see it Ray," he asked.

"Every last horrifying minute," she whispered.

"Will ya show me?" Rachel hesitated. "She means everthin' ta me Ray. I need ta know."

"I'll show you, Logan," she said "But I'm going to hold your body while I'm doing it. The vision will raise the feral in you." He agreed, reluctantly.

Rachel closed her eyes and Logan felt the telekinetic bubble crawl over his skin and clamp down on him. He shuddered in revulsion. Rachel's hands reached over and touched his head. The vision flowed into his mind like a storm. He saw the kidnapping in Los Angeles. The pain filled trip from the west coast to New York. The torture sessions, the beatings. The animal in him was howling in rage. When he saw Jubilee raped, the beast broke loose and took over. It was the beast that saw Angelo die. It was him that felt Jubilee die.

As the vision faded, the animal took complete control, snarling in rage. The man was left behind to weep. Everything was red. The room filled with his howls of rage as he struggled against the bubble that kept him from killing.

Fight it, a voice commanded. The beast tried to silence her.

You can't help Jubilee if the animal controls your body. You must take control, Logan. He struggled harder. He must get away and find the ones who killed his mate.

Something brushed his face. He tried to get away from it but it was held fast against him. A soft scent filled his nose. His thrashing slowed as he sniffed the familiar scent. 'Friend," the animal thought. 'Jubilee,' the man replied. 'Dead,' the beast cried. 'No,' the man corrected. 'Hurt but alive.' He took a deeper whiff. 'Hurt,' the beast whimpered. 'We can help but I hafta control,' the man said as he pushed the animal back. The beast receded with a throaty growl.

"Jubilee," Logan moaned as he opened his eyes. Piper was standing beside him, holding Jubilee's hand to his nose. Her face looked worried. Rachel came around to his other side and looked into his eyes. She nodded with satisfaction and Logan felt the bubble release him. His head and shoulders slumped forward, landing on the bed next to his best friend.

"What the hell just happened?" Piper demanded as she placed Jubilee's arm across his back.

"I showed Logan your sisters' vision," Rachel told her. "He didn't take it well. The animal in him sees her as its mate. The animal will kill to protect her"

"He could have killed us!" Piper said angrily.

"I was holding on to him in a telekinetic bubble," she assured her. "He can't break out no matter how wild he gets."

"How can you be so sure," Piper was still angry.

"Because of who and what I am," Rachel told her. "I have been the host of a cosmic power of uncharted depths. Part of that power remained with me after the Phoenix force was contained. I am the strongest, living telekinetic in the world."

"In the galaxy, darlin', until the Phoenix comes looking fer yer ma again." Logan said from behind Piper.

"Logan," she cried as she threw herself into his arms. "Are you alright?"

"She was beaten, raped, tortured and crucified," he said in a hard tone. "I don't think it's me we need ta worry 'bout. That she survived is a miracle."

"But she didn't survive, Logan," Rachel protested. "She died. If it wasn't for Warren, she would still be dead."

"I don't understand," Piper said, confused.

"She was given several transfusions of Warrens blood," Logan told them. "She was dead for thirty minutes before she began ta respond ta the blood. His healing factor brought her back."

"Why didn't you try this with Angelo?" Paige demanded.

"We did," Logan said with a sigh. "Skin was the first ta die after they nailed them up on those flamin' crosses. He'd been gone too long for us ta help."

"The X-Men have a strange relationship with death," Rachel told them wryly. "Almost everyone here had died at least once in the past. That includes Logan, who most think is indestructible."

"We've been beaten, tortured and crucified but Jubes is the first to be raped," he said. "I don't know how she's gonna handle it."

"Does the doctor know she was raped?" Paige asked.

"No," Logans said. "She hasn't talked about what happened."

"He needs to know," she told him. "There may be…consequences." Logan felt his stomach drop. He hadn't thought of that.

"I'll talk to Hank," Rachel told them. "You need to get ready for the funeral."

"Thanks, Ray," he said. "Ugly as it was, I needed ta know."

"Go on with ya," she said, blushing. "I'll see you at the funeral."

"Let's go," he told the sisters. "Phoebe will be safe here. Blue will watch over them both while we're gone." He led them out of the Med Lab. 


	5. Chapter 5

Revenge

A/N: This story takes place shortly after the events of USM423. Leo is still a Whitelighter. Gideon is dead by Leo's hand but the Elders don't know yet. Chris is 6 months old,

Disclaimers: I don't own anyone. Don't sue. I have no money.

Chapter 5

The funeral was one of the most beautiful Paige could remember. As a Wiccan, she didn't usually observe Christian rites but this one, she found comforting. Her thoughts were on the two years she had with Angelo and the fun they had. She broke out in giggles at the thought of some of the funnier things that had happened to them.

"What's so funny, petite?" Gambit was sitting next to her.

"I was thinking about some of the adventures Angelo and I had in LA," she told him with a sad smile.

"Dat's a healthy way of looking at death," he commented. "Everyone needs someone ta remember the joy dey had in life."

"I missed him after I left," she whispered. "I still miss him."

"Keep em alive in your memories," Remy said as he patted her hand.

She looked out of the window and saw the overcast sky and the drizzle that was falling. "I thought that it was supposed to clear and warm today."

"Stormy is sad," he explained. "When she's upset, it rains."

"Ororo can control the weather?" she asked in a hiss.

"Uh huh," he nodded.

She leaned back in her seat, astounded. 'These people are very powerful,' she thought. We will have to be careful while we are here. Our powers are based on magic. Theirs are based on genetics. Ours can be removed by magic. Theirs are built in and are much more difficult to remove. Having a mutant on your team would be an asset. She would have to discuss it with her sisters.

Piper and Paige squelched, arm in arm, up the hill to the cemetery for the burial. Most of the mourners were crying as the coffin was telekinecly carried to the gravesite. Kurt, in purple vestments, continued the service as the coffin was lowered into the prepared grave. Paige stepped forward and threw a white rose into the grave. The others followed her, Logan stepping up last. "From Jubilee," he said as he threw a blood red rose in.

The mourners slowly made their way back to the mansion. Paige and Logan stayed behind to watch as Gambit and Bobby Drake filled in the grave. They stood there in companionable silence until the men were finished and the grave was covered.

"This can't happen again, Logan," she said quietly.

"It ain't gonna be easy, darlin'," he told her.

"I don't expect it to be easy," she turned to him. "I expect it to be done."

"I'll help ya any way I can," he promised.

"Thanks," she whispered. "I hope Jubilee is well enough to go as well. She needs to be there so she can slay her demons and get her life back."

"I know," he said looking at her feet. "She's strong, but what happened ta her was beyond evil."

"She should talk to Phoebe," Paige said as they turned to walk back to the house. "She went through something similar to what Jubilee went through. She can help her get her humanity back."

Logan walked beside her, not touching. He was surprised that he felt comfortable in the young witch's company. Unlike a lot of girls in her age group, she had her head on straight. She wasn't afraid of the horrors that come with an active life. She almost expected to be attacked and was ready to defend herself and those she loved. In that aspect, they were very alike.

"How do you plan to defeat this demon?" he asked as they walked.

"It depends on what we're dealing with," she explained. "It may be that we need a vanquishing potion. If that's what we need, I will be the one to brew it. If it needs to be beaten to a pulp, Phoebe will take the lead. If it can be blown up, Piper will be the one to do it. If it is a major demon, it will take a Power of Three spell. Phoebe is the best at writing one of those. I don't seem to have a talent for them. It takes a deep understanding of magic to write a spell that powerful. I'm getting better but I'm not there yet." He grunted noncommittally. They walked on.

"Logan," she stopped him with a hand on his wrist. "Your relationship with Jubilee. I know she means a lot to you."

"She doesn't mean a lot ta me," he corrected. "She means everything ta me. She's the only person in the world that can pull me out of it when I'm fully feral. She has never once, been afraid of me. No one else can say that. Even you and your sisters were afraid of me after Ray showed me the vision. She's pulled my sorry ass outta trouble more times than I can count. She's the only one in this world I'd die for, willingly."

"My sisters and I have that kind of relationship," she smiled. "I'm glad that there is another love like ours in the world. I wish everyone could experience that kind of love. Maybe there would be less hate." She turned and resumed walking to the house. "When you two figure out that you belong together, give me a call. I want to be at the wedding."

"WHAT?" he yelled.

"She's the part of you that's been missing all your life," Paige said as she walked away.

She left Logan standing on the lawn, mumbling to himself about smart ass witches and what he'd do to her if he caught her alone. She ignored him. She knew he wouldn't do anything to her because she was right. Give Jubilee five years and Logan would be following her around, panting. She made a mental note to keep in touch with the X-Men to follow the pair as Jubilee grew up.

She made her way to the Med Lab to visit Phoebe. She found her in a regular bed, awake and in control. Piper was curled up on the bed beside Phoebe. Phoebe was still very pale and her eyes darted around the room, looking for threats. She would never admit it but the vision had unnerved her.

"Paige," Phoebe called to her as she came through the door. Could you get the Book of Shadows from our room? I saw the demon in my vision."

She ran upstairs to their room to get the magical book. Unfortunately, Phoebe did tell her where she had hidden the book. She spent ten minutes searching the room before she found the loose floor boards that secreted the family heirloom. Grabbing the book, she ran beck to the Med Lab.

"Boy, when you hide something, you hide it," she complained to Phoebe.

"Can't let just anyone see it," Phoebe said distracted. She grabbed the book and opened it to the demon classification section and began to read.

"Leo has taken the boys to the Elders," Piper told her unhappily. "He's going to stay with them."

"It's the safest place for them," Paige told her. "Until we vanquish this demon, they're vulnerable."

"I know, so are you" she said testily. "I just don't like him up there. What if they find out."

"They won't find out if Leo keeps his mouth shut." Phoebe said crossly. "Can you guys be quiet so I can concentrate?"

"Sorry," Piper said chagrined.

"Hank," Logan yelled. Paige jumped. She hadn't seen him there.

The big blue doctor came running from his office on the other side of the room.

"She moved," Logan said excited. "She's waking up." Hank examined the reading flashing on the screen above the girls head.

"You are right my feral friend," he announced. "She is indeed waking up. It would help if you would call to her. Give her someone to come back to."

"Jubilee," he called. "Time ta wake up." Her eyes twitched.

"Jubilation," Hank called.

"Jubes, if yer not up and on my scoot in five minutes, I'll leave without ya," Logan threatened.

Her eyes fluttered open. "Don't leave me, Wolvie," she whimpered.

"I'm not leavin' ya darlin'," he smiled, tears swimming in his eyes. "You were tryin' ta leave me this time."

"How are you feeling Jubilation?" Hank asked her as he performed a quick examination.

"Sleepy," she complained.

"Get some sleep my dear," Hank patted her hand. "You will feel much better tomorrow."

"K," she yawned. Her eyes drifted closed.

"She's in a normal sleep Logan," he told the worried mutant. "She's out of the woods now. I expect she'll wake up tomorrow and want to go skating."

"I'll hide her blades fer the next two weeks," Logan promised with a growl.

"That won't be necessary," he told him. "She can get back on her skates in three days as long as she doesn't leave the estate and she takes a communicator with her. She is banned from the Danger Room for two weeks except for a prescribed course of physical therapy. I expect that you will want to take charge of that." Logan nodded. "Get with me tomorrow and we will discuss what she will need." He squeezed Logan's shoulder and left the ward.

Piper and Paige walked over to the bed where Jubilee was sleeping.

"She's doing much better," Piper said to Logan in a low voice.

"My Jubes is a fighter," he said fondly. "'Bout as hard ta kill as me."

"But she did die Logan," Paige brought him crashing back to Earth. "There are things in the world that are deadlier than you can imagine."

"And they've come to town," Piper told him in a hard voice.

He looked shell shocked at their words. Paige took pity on him and suggested they go to dinner.

Meal time at the mansion was an eye opener for the sisters. Piper described it to Phoebe later as controlled chaos. They learned that if you didn't grab the food as it went by you, you didn't get any. It wasn't unusual to see rolls flying across the table and landing on the plates of the people who requested them. The quickly learned to duck when the food was in the air.

Paige sat beside the incredibly handsome Warren Worthington, who's code name was, appropriately, Angel. He was unfortunately, beginning a molt. She would find pin feathers in her food every time he moved. The others requested he take his meals in his room until he completed the molt. Piper found out why they call Bobby Drake Iceman when he froze her soup. The entire table regaled them with stories of Bobby and Jubilee's pranks. They appeared to put an incredible amount of planning into the stunts.

"If they put as much planning into their missions," Xavier told them dryly, "they would be unstoppable." He glared at Bobby with reproach. Bobby blushed in response.

Paige was thrilled to accept Warren's offer to take her flying in the morning.

"I'll be grounded soon," he told her. "I will have to wait while my feathers grow back in. I can take up to a week before my wings can support flight."

Rogue offered to take Piper flying as well. She declined, embarrassed to admit she was afraid of heights. Rogue promised her that she would be safe in a harness. Piper said she would think about it.

The returned to their rooms that night in a funk. Phoebe was staying in the Med Lab for the night at the recommendation of Dr. McCoy. He wanted to be sure she didn't have any problems after her breakdown. Paige found her room too quiet with Phoebe gone.

Piper had showered and changed into a nightgown, getting ready for bed when Leo appeared in the room.

"Why didn't you come back after you dropped the boys off?" she asked her husband as she kissed him.

"Piper, he started, "Logan knows me from the war. How can I answer the questions he is going to have?"

"Does he look any older that he did during the war?" she asked.

"No," Leo said slowly.

"I think you have your own questions. You two need to talk and clear up the confusion," she told him shoving him toward the door. "Be honest with him. They've seen a lot of bizarre things. Your story isn't going to surprise him much." She shoved him into the hall and closed the door.

Leo had no idea where in this labyrinth Logan's room was located. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the ageless mutant. He felt his presence in another area of the mansion that he hadn't been in yet. He orbed to the room.

Logan was lounging on his bed watching TV and smoking a cigar when the light stream appeared. He recognized it as an orb. The strange thing was that it had a scent. It wasn't Paige's scent so he wasn't sure who was visiting. The light resolved into the form of the man who saved his life sixty years ago.

"Logan," the man greeted him with a nod.

"Wyatt," he said suspiciously. "Why are ya here?"

"We need to talk," Leo said.

"Have a seat," Logan waved at the sofa. Leo sat down on the lumpy sofa and an uncomfortable silence fell over the room.

Logan cleared his throat nervously. "I never thanked ya fer what ya did fer me in '44." he said. "Ya saved my life."

"But I shouldn't have," Leo cried. "That wound should have killed you. You had a huge hole in your abdomen. No one recovers from that."

"What ya did gave my healing factor time ta kick in," Logan told him. "By the time I got ta the aide station, it was mostly healed. I needed another day or two before I was back at the front and back on my mission. It's my healing factor that stops me from aging."

"You must have given the doctors at the aide station a start," Leo smiled.

"What happened to ya Wyatt?" Logan asked. "Last I saw, you were on the wrong end of a German sniper bullet."

"I died," Leo told him truthfully. At Logan's questioning look, he went on. "I was rewarded for my compassion and made a Whitelighter and returned to Earth. I have been watching over witches ever since."

"And now, yer married ta one of the Charmed Ones."

"That's a story and a half," Leo laughed. "We almost didn't get married. The Elders were not happy to see us fall in love. The actively tried to stop it. If it wasn't for Piper's grandmother, it would have never happened."

"Her grandmother?" Logan asked.

"Yeah," Leo said with a laugh. "She died shortly before the girls received their powers. She's a feisty ghost and most of the Elders don't want to cross her."

"Ghost?"

"You X-Men aren't the only ones who have a strange relationship with death." Leo laughed. "Dead most certainly doesn't mean gone to either of us."

"No kiddin'," Logan smiled.

They spent the rest of the night telling each other war stories. Logan slipped down to the kitchen and grabbed some beer for them and they spent the night drinking and smoking cigars and catching up on each others lives. Leo returned to his room, slightly drunk and happy. He tried not to wake Piper as he slid into the bed beside her but she was a very light sleeper.

"Phew," she complained, "you stink."

"Logan and I cleared up a lot of things," he told her with a hiccup

"Couldn't you do it without the beer and cigars?"

"Male bonding," Leo said with a yawn. "Night." She turned over with a huff and fell asleep.

Phoebe had found the demon from her vision after two hours of searching. Her stomach churned with the thought of facing this monster. According to the Book Of Shadows, he was one of the most powerful demons they has ever faced. He was nearly unkillable. He was resistant to all of their powers. He could control minds, even the mind of a witch. Their only hope of defeating him was a Power of Three spell. She was going to have to find out if her sisters had thought to bring the Crystal Cage.

She heard a moan from the only other occupied bed in the room. Looking over, she saw Jubilee toss restlessly on the bed in the throws of a nightmare. Phoebe was familiar with the nightmares that can visit after a severe trauma and her heart went out to the teen. Her experiences over the last month had been enough to induce nightmares in the strongest soul. This poor child had dealt with more in one day than most people deal with in a lifetime.

She tucked the book into her sheets and climbed out of bed. She walked over to Jubilee's bed and placed her hand on the girl's head. Stroking her hair softly, she calmed and consoled her. She continued to stoke the silky, soft hair as she climbed into the bed beside her. Gathering the troubled teen into her arms, she whispered quiet, calming words. Jubilee slowly relaxed and fell into a deep sleep. Phoebe sighed and resigned herself to staying the night in the bed. The days events suddenly caught up with her and she fell asleep. 


	6. Chapter 6

Revenge

A/N: Sorry for the boo-boo's in the earlier chapters. My beta reader is on vacation for two weeks. Thanks to everyone who reviewed this story. This story takes place shortly after the events of UXM 423. Leo is still a Whitelighter. Gideon is dead by Leo's hand but the Elders don't know yet. Chris is six months old.

Disclaimers: I don't own anyone. I'm just borrowing the characters for a little play time. I'll feed them before I send them home.

Chapter 6

Logan entered the Med Lab the next morning in a good mood. He had enjoyed himself, rehashing old war stories with Leo last night and was looking forward to talking with him again. It's not everyday that he came across someone from his own generation and he planned to enjoy their time together.

He looked over to the bed the witch was in and found the sheets rumpled but the bed empty. She didn't show up for the morning Kata but he hadn't expected her. The vision she had yesterday had taken a lot out of her.

He walked over to Jubilee's bed and found the missing witch, curled up with Jubes. They looked like two dark haired kittens cuddled together for warmth while their mother hunted. He found himself smiling fondly at the sight. He straightened his face and cleared his throat.

Phoebe's head popped up, looking at him in alarm. Jubilee just moaned and turned over in the bed. Phoebe looked over at her bedmate and carefully, extracted her legs from the twisted blankets and got out of the bed.

"Good morning," she whispered.

"Mornin," he rumbled.

"She had a nightmare last night," she explained. "I know where she's commin from. I have them too. When I have one, Paige will crawl into bed with me to keep them away."

"She usually crawls into bed with me," he said. "She's had nightmares fer years. This ain't the first time she's been kidnapped and tortured."

She turned and went to her bed and started to dig the book out of the sheets. "That's a piece of disturbing information, Logan," she said, troubled. "Why would anyone choose to hurt a pretty child like Jubilee?"

"She's a very powerful mutant darlin'," he told her. "There are plenty of people in the world that hate us simply because we have an extra bit of DNA that they don't. Most of us can pass fer normal if it wasn't for the DNA scans that some people do but there are others, like Elf and Wings, that are so different, that people hate them on sight."

"Elf is Kurt and Wings is Warren, right?" she asked. Logan nodded. "That's silly. Kurt is the gentlest person I ever met He has a soft heart and a kind soul. He wouldn't hurt anyone if he had a gun to his head. And Warren," she sighed. "Warren has sex appeal in spades. He's the most beautiful man I've ever seen. Why in the world would anyone want to hurt them."

"People are afraid of the differences they represent," Logan explained. "They see mutants as usurpers. Mutants like Elf and Wings are easy targets because they're visibly mutated."

"I still don't understand it," she complained.

"If more people thought like you, my job wouldn't be necessary."

"I suppose," she said thoughtfully.

"Hey Wolvie," Jubilee called from her bed. "Are ya here ta spring me?"

"Just as soon as Hank sets ya free," he said coming over and dropping a kiss on her head.

"What are ya waitin for?" she asked as she pulled the blankets off her legs. "Let's go find him."

"Ya know Hank alarmed the lab Jubes," he said as he pushed her back down on the bed. "The second ya leave the bed, the alarms go off and Blue'll rush down here. He won't be happy if ya make him miss his breakfast. He may even make ya stay another day"

Jubilee gulped and settled down onto the pillows. "I think I'll wait for Hank."

"Thought ya would," he chuckled.

"I'm sorry," Phoebe stammered. "I didn't know the bed was alarmed or I wouldn't have climbed in when she had the nightmare."

"The alarms are tagged ta Jubilee's bio signature, not yers," he said. "Hank knew that Jubes might try ta leave in the middle of the night. He was sure you wouldn't."

"Why weren't they tagged for her?" Jubilee asked.

"She has no idea how ta get back ta her room, kiddo," he said ruffling her hair. "She'd be lost ten feet outside the door."

"Yer one of the women Wolvie attacked last night," she accused.

"Actually," she and Logan exchanged glances, "that was night before last. I'm Phoebe."

"I missed the funeral?" Jubilee asked in surprise.

"Yeah darlin," Logan apologized, "ya did."

"Oh Ang," she said as tears began to slip down her cheeks, "I'm sorry."

Logan picked her up and sat down on the bed with Jubilee in his lap. "You cry, kid," he said softly. "It'll make ya feel better."

Phoebe picked up her shoes and the Book of Shadows and left him to comfort Jubilee as best he could. She met Hank as she left the lab. He gave her directions back to her room and she told him what had happened during the night. He would release Jubilee to Logan's care and talk to Xavier about the nightmares later in the day.

Phoebe met the distinguished headmaster in the entry as she made her way back to her room.

"Did you find what you were looking for, Ms Halliwell?" he asked.

"Please call me Phoebe," she told him. "There are too many Ms Halliwells here and yes I did find the demon."

"Please," he asked. "Come into my office and show me what you found." She followed his hover chair into the richly decorated office she was in yesterday.

"New piece of equipment, Professor?" she asked.

"A gift from a very special lady," he replied. "What have you found?"

"The demon is called Morlin," she said as she opened the book to the page she found last night. "He's a very old and very powerful demon that is resistant to all of our powers. He feeds on the hate and fear of others and uses mind control to start a chain of events that can feed him for years. World War II is an example. Grams wrote that she believed that he was the one who incited the events that started the war. He was definitely the one who incited the German policy on Jews."

"Fascinating," he breathed. "May I make a copy of this page?"

"I'm not sure you can," she admitted. "The Book of Shadows is magic and it may not permit you to copy it."

"Is it sentient," he asked in awe.

"Not that I know of," she said, "but it will protect itself from evil."

"Incredible," he gushed. "Where did you get such a book?"

"It was started in the 1600's by Melinda Warren, an ancestress of ours. It has been passed down by the women of our family ever since. Every generation has added to it in their turn. Now, it belongs to us."

"This book is four hundred years old?" he whispered. "It is in excellent condition."

"It is spelled to keep it in good shape. I expect that when it isn't needed any more, is will dissolve into dust. It has some very powerful spells and potions in it."

"May I see one?" he asked eagerly.

"Unless you have magic, you won't be able to read the them," she told him. "A safety spell keeps the them out of the hands of people who don't understand magic."

"A wise precaution," he said disappointed. "We want to help you any way that we can. Please tell me, what can we do?"

"I have an idea," she told him. "I need to talk it over with my sisters first."

"This one's going to be bad," she told her sisters and Leo later that day. "Morlin is very strong and resistant to our powers. He will definitely take a Power of Three spell."

"What can he do?" Piper asked with a frown.

"He is impervious to fire, electricity and any bladed weapon. He can control minds, even the mind of a witch. In 1840, he took control of the mind of a witch in France and forced her to terrorize the people in her village. She ended up killing everyone in it. That's over two hundred men, women and children."

"What can we do?" Paige demanded.

"I have an idea for a Power of Three spell but I'm not sure you will like it."

"Will it work?" Piper asked.

"I think so," Phoebe told her.

"Will it hurt him first?" Paige asked with hate hardened eyes.

"Definitely," Phoebe told her.

"This isn't a good idea," Leo interrupted. "You're too involved with your hate to think straight."

"Shut up Leo," Paige snarled.

"No, Paige, I won't," he said quietly. "You can't confront this demon with hate in your heart. This thing feeds on hate. You'll leave yourself open to Morlins' mind control if you can't control your emotions." There was complete silence for a minute after Leo stop speaking.

"He's right, Paige," Piper said at last. "We have to find a different way to do this."

"X-Men and Charmed Ones to the War Room," came Xaviers' voice over the PA system.

"Where the hell is the War Room?" Phoebe asked as they ran out of the room.

"Sub-basement near the Danger Room," Piper told them. "I passed it the first night."

"Danger Room," Paige muttered. "Figures."

The War Room was a large room lined with television monitors, all of them on. Several were showing footage from the war in the middle east, Arabic writing flowing along the bottom of the screen. Some of them were obviously stolen from Russian military satellites. Others were taken from US sources. The largest screen had a news cast from somewhere in New York state. The image was frozen on the face of three children, frightened and crying. Two were obvious mutants. The third was a blonde boy around twelve years old.

"These three children were taken from a mall in Albany this morning," Xavier told the room. "The youngest, with the crimson hair, is Teresa Macon, age six. Next to her is David Brown, age nine. The blonde is Gary Wells, age thirteen. All are mutants. Two are unpowered, physical mutants. Gary has a minor power over fire. The parents of these children are very worried and are cooperating with the authorities in every way possible." The picture changed. Phoebe gasped in recognition. "This man was seen dragging the children out of the mall at ten twenty this morning."

"I know him," Phoebe gasped.

"He was one of the men that was seen in your vision," Xavier told her. "I have the ability to examine any memory in detail. There is no question that the Church of Humanity was involved in the abduction."

"Do we know they're heading our way?" Jean asked.

"We never reported the crimes that happened here so they probably think they haven't been discovered," Scott told her.

"Do we know where they are now?" Angel asked.

"A mutant child was reportedly dragged across a field twenty miles outside of Salem Center an hour ago," Xavier replied. "The farm is owned by a Roy Patterson. At present, that is the only clue we have."

"Did the witness give a description of the mutant?" Beast asked.

"Unfortunately no," Cyclops told him. "There have been several other kidnappings over the past week so it could be anyone."

"A mutant's in trouble," Logan growled. "That's good enough fer me."

"Me as well, mon ami," Gambit said as he rose from his chair. "Anybody else commin?"

"Ah'm in," Rogue stood.

"Me too," called Bobby.

"Me three," Jubilee chimed in.

"No yer not darlin," Wolverine stated.

"Come on Wolvie," she objected.

"Yer off duty til Blue says different." They continued to argue back and forth for several minutes.

Warren stood quietly and headed for the door with the rest of his team.

"Not you Angel," Cyclops stopped him. "Danger Room data from this morning has you at forty percent below optimal flight levels. You're grounded until after your molt."

He looked defiant for a moment but nodded. He knew if he disobeyed Cyclops, he would be off the team. He also knew Scott was right. He had felt clumsy and slow this morning. If he were to perform that poorly during a mission, it could cost a teammate his or her life. He would stay behind and keep Jubilee company.

Jubilee was still arguing with her mentor.

"But Wolvie, I need ta go on this one." she begged.

"It'll only be recon this time Jubes," he told her. Her lip pushed out in a pout. "I promise. You'll be there for the kill."

"We're not ready yet Jubilee," Piper told her. "When we are, you'll be there."

"Okay. I'll stay here," she gave in ungraciously.

"That's a good girl," Logan said as he ruffled her hair and hurried out after his teammates, the Charmed Ones following him.

Even though they were flying into danger, Phoebe couldn't remember a more pleasant flight. The Blackbird was a quiet aircraft. If it wasn't for the fact that they were in midair, she would have sworn that the engines weren't on. The seats conformed to their bodies like they were make for them. It was a swift flight and they landed near the farm less than thirty minutes after they shot up out of the basketball court.

"Wolverine and Gambit take the point, Ill take the rear," Cyclops ordered. "Recon and return people. Do not engage unless you are attacked."

The group moved off in a vee, Wolverine and Gambit in front.. The Charmed Ones fitted themselves into the lines with ease. They had done this type of recon before and knew how it worked. The house came into view after fifteen minutes of walking.

"Jean," Cyclops whispered.

"I feel twenty two minds," she hissed. "Seven are children, the rest adults."

"Gun oil," Wolverine said after a sniff. "Some explosives as well."

"Gambit," he said quietly.

"I'm on it," he slipped into the shadows and disappeared.

"Storm, some cover for Gambit," She rose into the air, her eyes white. Fog rolled in from nowhere.

"Wolverine, take the Charmed Ones and cover the first floor." They moved off into the darkness.

Following Wolverine was a task in itself. He moved without sound and with a minimum of movement. Several times he had to come back for them after they lost him.

"Yer as loud as a herd of elephants," he hissed.

"I'm sorry, we're not flyers," Paige shot back.

"C'mon," he whispered. "There's a big group in the back room."

They crept around to the back of the house. A group of around fifteen people were lined up in a room facing the back wall. A podium was set up near a door to the rest of the house. A figure was at the podium, talking and waving his arms around excitedly. Wolverine sniffed the air experimentally. "Human," he whispered.

They slipped behind a tree in back of the house where they were out of sight. The felt save to talk for a while.

"I don't smell a demon," Wolverine whispered.

"He may not be here right now," Piper said in a low voice.

"It should leave a scent behind," he objective. "It hasn't been here, ever."

"Is there another house in the area?" Paige asked.

"Don't think so."

"What do we have here?" a voice said from behind them. They whirled in shock.

"Morlin," Phoebe hissed

"I see you know me witch," he laughed. "Ah, your friends have joined us."

They saw the rest of the team shoved into the clearing near the house. The only one missing was Rogue. The back door of the house banged closed as a big burly man carried a struggling child out to his master. They recognized the child as Teresa Macon. She was screaming and crying in terror. Phoebe felt the waves of fear wash over her, her empathy flaring painfully. She gasped in pain, tears blocking her vision.

"Empathic, aren't you witch," Morlin sneered. "Feeling her fear and pain? That's my meal witch." He grabbed her by the throat and squeezed. Blackness swarmed over her eyes. She couldn't breath. She was going to die. Panic filled her. She kicked out and caught him on the leg. He didn't let go. She had to try something else. She went wild, arms and legs flying, striking out at anything she could reach. Suddenly, she was flying across the clearing, landing on her back in a heap.

"Bind him," Morlin ordered. She looked up to see Cyclops struggling with three men. He had blasted Morlin and freed her from his grip. Paige and Piper ran over and helped her up from the ground.

"Settle down ladies and gentlemen," Morlin ordered. Phoebe looked up to see him holding Teresa Macon, her arms pinned to her sides, a knife to her throat. "Behave yourselves and I may not kill this child." Wolverine was growling, crouched ten feet in front of him.

He looked over at the feral mutant. "My, you are full of anger, aren't you," he smiled. "It's delicious. Give me more." The knife dug deeper into the childs' neck. Blood flowed down her neck. The growling became deeper and more threatening.

"Control yourself Wolverine," Ororo ordered. Phoebe could see him struggle with his temper. The growling began to lessen.

"Oh no you don't," Morlin sneered. "I will have a meal from you." The knife traced across the girls' neck. Blood sprayed across the clearing, down the childs' chest and over Morlins' arm and hand. He dropped the girl to the ground and licked his fingers. "Wonderful," he swooned. "Virgin blood is so good." 

Wolverine went nuts. In a flurry of claws he attacked Morlin only to bounce off without wounding him. The clearing was suddenly filled with bodies as the rest of the X-Men came to the aid of the recon team. A paf from Jubilee freed Cyclops. Storm took to the air and thunder and lightning crackled all around, forcing the acolytes away from Morlin. Cyclops place a high powered blast in the center of Morlins' chest. The demon staggered back but was unhurt. He stood in the middle of the clearing with a look of unholy joy on his face. They were giving him a banquet tonight.

The Charmed Ones joined the fight. Phoebe was throwing blows along side Wolverine. Piper was blasting the attendant demons around Morlin one by one. Paige and Leo orbed into the house and gathered the hostages together and orbed them back to the plane and safety.

"You have them?" Nightcrawler asked as he teleported to the jet.

"We've got them," Leo told him. "Get everyone out. He's too strong." Kurt nodded and disappeared in a cloud of brimstone scented smoke.

The human acolytes had run from the clearing and all that was left were the few attendant demons that Piper and Phoebe were taking care of and Morlin.

"We have to go," Nightcrawler called to Cyclops. "We need to regroup."

"X-Men," he called, "head for the jet."

"I ain't leavin, Cyke," Wolverine yelled. "I want my pound of flesh first."

"C'mon Wolvie," Jubilee yelled as she ran for the plane. "We need a better plan."

He ran his claws through a human stupid enough to come back into the clearing.

"Come on Logan," Phoebe said as she grabbed his arm. "We'll come back with bigger guns." A stream of ice shot across the clearing. She dodged as a fireball flew over shoulder and splashed onto a tree. "Crap," she swore. "Figures he could do that." Glancing back at Morlin, she saw something she didn't expect. He had a large burn on his left cheek. Something had gotten through.

They were the last ones to get on the jet, the ramp raising as they ran. The ramp slammed closed and the jet jumped into the air. It shot forward and turned for the mansion, Scott at the controls.

"How did you get here so fast?" Paige asked, puffing from the run.

"Gateway," Warren said.

"What's a Gateway?" Phoebe asked Logan.

"A pint sized bunch of big trouble," Logan growled. "You ever see a small aboriginal guy in traditional dress looking at ya funny, run fast in the opposite direction."

"Hey," Jubilee protested. "I'd never met ya if it wasn't for Gateway."

"I know, darlin'," he said. "But Gateway's more trouble that he's worth sometimes."

"How bad are we hurt?" Jean was asking Hank.

"Gambit has a fractured right arm, both cheek bones and jaw," Beast began the litany of injuries. "He has severe contusions of his face and chest. He will be out of action for at least two months. Ororo has a laceration over her left eye that will need to be sutured. She also has a dislocated shoulder and contusions of the arms and legs. She will be out for about one week. There are other with minor scrapes and bumps. But nothing serious. Except for Gambit, our injuries are minor."

"Because Morlin wasn't trying," Piper remarked. "He could have killed us all." 


	7. Chapter 7

Revenge

A/N: This story takes place shortly after the events of UXM 423. Leo is still a Whitelighter. Gideon is dead by Leo's hand but the Elders don't know yet. Chris is six months old. Jubilee is recovering from her injuries. Wolvie is still pissed. Paige knew Angelo several years ago in LA.

Disclaimers: I don't own them. I'm not making any money from them. Don't sue.

Chapter 7

"They knew we were comin'," Wolverine stormed around the War Room.

"How do ya figure that?" Jubilee asked.

"That demon masked it's scent from me," He snarled. "It knew I'd be there and made sure I couldn't smell it."

"How can he do that?" Jean wondered.

"Magic," Wolverine growled. "A demon can mask it's scent with magic and make it seem like it's not there."

"Is that true?" Jubilee asked the witches.

"I don't know," Piper admitted. "We don't hunt demons by scent."

"There's no reason why a demon can't mask his scent if he knew how." Paige told them. "Morlin is very old. He may have learned how to mask over the years."

"I couldn't feel anything in his mind," Jean admitted. "He has very powerful shields."

"You don't want to get into his mind," Piper told her, "believe me. Morlin is the worst kind of evil. His mind could swallow you."

"Phoebe," Scott turned to her, "you felt the emotions that were flying around. Can you broadcast emotions as well?"

"No," she sighed. "My empathy is one way. I can only feel the emotions of others, not influence them."

"We need to find a way to block our emotions from him," Leo said. "He fed on our anger and fear tonight. If we can block those feelings, he may weaken."

"We also need a different spell," Phoebe told him. "The one I was working on won't vanquish him."

"Leo," Piper said, making a decision, "go to the manor and get the crystals. Phoebe, give me the spell you're working on. I'm going to rewrite it." Leo disappeared in a flash of light.

"What are you going to do?" Phoebe asked as she handed Piper the paper she had been working on.

"I'm going to summon the elements," she said coldly. Phoebe gasped in fear.

"Are you crazy?" Paige yelled. "You can't call the elements. We can't control them."

"There are mutants here that can control wind, ice and fire," she told her sisters. "All we need is one that can control earth."

"There is a senior student that can control the growth of any plant," Xavier said. "Will he do?"

"He'll have to do," Piper said as she wrote. Phoebe watched her older sister with alarm.

"It wasn't Wyatt, Piper," she said softly.

"It could have been," she said through gritted teeth. "She was just a little girl. No child should die like that. No parent should have to see a child die like that." She slammed the pencil down on the table and fled the War Room in tears.

Phoebe grabbed the paper and read what she had written. "Dear God," she whispered. "This would be like dropping a nuclear bomb in the middle of Salem Center. It would kill us all."

"Can a spell do that?" Jubilee asked, her skin pale.

"If the witch is strong enough," Paige said, troubled. "Piper is the strongest witch alive. Maybe the strongest ever. She could write a spell that would destroy the world but she couldn't cast it without us and we won't do it."

Leo appeared in the room, the case containing the crystals in his hands. "Where's Piper?" he asked looking around the room.

"Give me those and read this," Phoebe told him as she passed him the paper and took the box. Leo paled as he read what his wife planned.

"Oh my God," he whispered in horror.

"We can't do this, Leo," Paige told him. "Talk to her. Try to calm her down so we can come up with a spell that won't destroy the entire city along with Morlin."

"She's seeing Wyatt in Teresa's place," Phoebe told him. "She's afraid that he'll get to her children."

"I'll take her up for a visit with the boys," Leo said. "Maybe that will calm her down." He disappeared in a stream of light.

"Last thing we need is a powerful, frightened witch," was Logans' comment.

"Can you blame her?" Phoebe asked angrily.

"No," he said quietly. "I saw Jubes in the kids' place myself. Scared the hell outta me. I don't blame her fer bein' scared but the more power ya have, the more control ya need."

Leo orbed into the room he shared with Piper. She was on the bed with her back to him. He could hear her crying. He sat down beside her and placed his hand on her shoulder. She rolled over to her back and looked at him with watery eyes.

"I lost control," she whispered.

"Yeah," he said, "you did."

"Did I scare everyone?" she asked.

"Phoebe and Paige were frightened but the others don't understand." He slid down the bed to lie beside her. She adjusted herself so she was curled at his side with her head on his chest. She could feel the comforting beat of his heart and the warmth of his skin.

"I've never been so angry, Leo. I kept seeing Wyatt in Morlins' arms, blood pouring from his throat." She began to tremble. "I never thought it was possible to hate that much."

"There's a lot of hate in the world, Piper. We've both seen it. A lot of it is directed at mutants like Teresa. We can shield the boys from that hate while they are children but eventually, they will see it. We can only do our part to eliminate the hate caused by demons. The hate toward mutants will have to work itself out over time."

"I feel like I'm fighting a loosing battle. The more we fight, the stronger they become. Will it ever end?"

"I wish I could answer that," he sighed. "We fight while we can. Wyatt and Chris are the next salvo in the battle. They will do their part when the time comes."

"I don't want them to have to fight demons the rest of their lives. I want them to grow up, get married and have children like everyone else. I want them to worry about whether they took the garbage out or not. I want them to live to work in a cubicle and hate their boss. I don't want to see my sons die."

"I hope it doesn't come to that."

"I want to see my boys," she whispered. He pulled his arm out from under her and stood up. He held his hand out to her, wordlessly calling for her.

"Really?" she asked. He nodded. She leapt from the bed and into his arms. He laughed as he orbed them away.

Phoebe had been curious about this room ever since she heard the name; Danger Room. What was so dangerous about it? The light beside the door showed that the room was in use and she couldn't enter. A little way down the hall was a door labeled 'Danger Room Control Center'. Trying the door, she found it unlocked. She pushed the door open, climbed the stairs and stepped in to room.

Rogue was sitting at a vast panel with a dizzying array of dials and switches. A large window ran from one end of the panel to the other giving an unobstructed view of the room below. The scene was of a run down neighborhood that could be in any large city in the country. Trash blew across streets. Windows were cracked or broken in most of the buildings. She could almost smell the urine left in the corners by the cities' homeless. Whoever built this set was very talented.

She caught sight of Logan, in black and yellow spandex and his face masked, perched on the top of a run down building. Phoebe realized that from his position, he could see most of the block without being seen himself. He watched and waited. She heard a click in the control room. Her eyes snapped up to see Rogue sitting in a chair in the middle of the panel. She flipped several switches and five men shimmered into existence in the street. Phoebe's breath caught in her throat.

"They ain't real, sugah," Rogue said over her shoulder. "They're holograms." She adjusted a dial to her right. "Safeties off." she announced to the Danger Room. Wolverine growled in response.

He made his way quickly down to street level, staying to the shadows. Phoebe couldn't hear him moving but she could hear the sounds of the street clearly. She sat down to watch the exercise. Wolverine was just above the men now. They had no idea that he was there. He positioned himself carefully, waiting until their attention was concentrated on something down the street.

The yowl of a cat fight came from the end of the street. The five men whirled, guns drawn. It was then that Wolverine struck. He shot out of the shadows and landed of the two men in the back, his claws flashing. Both men fell, three long gashes to their backs. When they hit the ground, they shimmered out. The other three turned in reaction to the sound of the falling bodies. One fell immediately to Wolverines' claws. The other two were able to get shots off with their energy weapons, the beams hitting him in the chest. He flew back and landed in a pile of trash across the street. He got up and took cover around the corner of a building, shaking his head to clear it. Phoebe could see blood running down his shoulder. He jumped up and grabbed the fire escape ladder and pulled himself up to the landing. He retreated to the shadows and once again, waited. The two remaining men crept slowly up to the building they knew he was waiting near. The first jumped around the corner, his gun ready to find nothing. Waving the other man over, they went forward to search the ally. Wolverine waited until they were closer together before he struck. The men were kicking aside a pile of garbage, standing no more that two feet apart, when they were struck from behind. Claws drove hard into their backs in a killing blow. They shimmered away as soon as they hit the ground.

There was a click and a whirl and the street vanished leaving a gleaming steel lined room behind.

"Exercise ended," Rogue announced. "Ya weren't supposed ta kill em, sugah."

"My temper's running a little hot, Rogue," he growled. "Mornin' Phoebe."

"Good morning, Logan," she said. "How did you know I was here?"

"Smelled ya," he said as he wiped the blood off his shoulder. "What can I do fer ya darlin'."

"I want to take you up on your offer," she said.

"Won't be easy," he warned. "You'll be up at six fer the Kata and a ten mile run every day. Danger Room training fer two hours every afternoon."

"I'm not afraid of hard work," she told him. "If it saves the life of one innocent, it will be worth it."

"Meet me by the lake at six tomorrow mornin'," he instructed her. "Jubilee will join us when Hank gives the okay. Ya miss one day because ya slept in, I'll drop ya and nothing' ya can say will get me ta take ya back."

"Not a problem, Logan. I'll be there."

Piper and Leo returned after three days of family time with a report from the Elders.

"They think I have the right idea, calling the elements but they think we need to do it in a way that will channel the power through the mutants." she told her sisters.

"So you think they will agree?" Paige asked. "They are innocents after all."

"Can they handle that kind of power?" Phoebe asked.

"I'm sure Ororo and Bobby can handle it. Jubilee is a question," she said. "She died recently and her physical ability to handle the power may be limited. The student, I think Charles said his name was Chad, he is still young. We will have to support him while the power is flowing through him."

"What else do we need?" questioned Paige.

"We will need a focus for the combined elemental power." Piper told them. "We can't be the focus. We will be chanting the incantation. We need to find someone who can focus the elemental power while we bind Morlins' powers with the Power of Three spell."

"You mean we can't vanquish him" Paige asked incredulously.

"No," her voice was grim. "We will over feed him with remembered fear and hate but someone else has to kill him."

"What if he gets too powerful?" Phoebe asked.

"The Crystal Cage will contain him," Piper said. "We will give him so much fear and hate that he will be very uncomfortable."

"Will the focus be in danger?" Phoebe asked in trepidation.

"The focus may be killed." Piper told her. "Who ever is the focus also has to be willing to kill. That leaves out most of the X-Men."

"But not Logan," Paige said quietly. Her sisters looked at her with their mouths open. "He's the only one who has any chance of surviving. He has a healing factor."

"So does Warren," Phoebe argued.

"Warren won't kill," Piper said thoughtfully. "I asked him the second day we were here."

"Logan won't hesitate to kill if necessary," Paige told Phoebe. "He's the logical choice to take the focus position."

"We tell him everything," Phoebe demanded. "He has to know what he is in for."

The others agreed to her demands and they went to find Logan. They found him in the garage, taking apart the engine of his motorcycle. His face was serious as they told him what they planned. He didn't like Jubilee involved in this but agreed that she was the best choice to represent fire. He asked several questions about his role in the plan. After he received his answers, he agreed.

"Just like that?" Paige asked surprised.

"I told ya once that I would willingly die for Jubes," he said. "This is my chance ta prove it."

"Thanks Logan," Piper said as she hugged him.

"You're a hell of a man," Paige said and kissed him on the cheek.

"Why can't I find a guy like you?" asked Phoebe as she hugged him and gave him a lingering kiss on the lips. He returned the kiss enthusiastically.

"I'm one of a kind darlin'," he said as he stepped back. "Let me know when yer ready."

"We will," promised Piper as she lead her sisters out of the garage.

"Wow," Phoebe breathed. "Can he kiss!"

"He's had lots of practice," Piper said grabbing her arm. "Come on. We have to talk to the others and write the spell. 


	8. Chapter 8

Revenge

A/N: This story takes place shortly after the events of UXM423. Leo is still a Whitelighter. Gideon is dead by Leo's hand but the Elders don't know yet. Chris is six months old. Logan is to be the focus of the elemental power called by the Charmed Ones and channeled through the mutants.

Disclaimers: I don't own the but I love playing with them. Don't sue. No money.

Chapter 8

They took three days to teach the mutants how to channel the power that would be coursing through them. This gave Jubilee time to recover from her injuries. She was excited to have the chance to get some payback for what the Church of Humanity did to Angelo and herself. Logan was still reluctant to allow Jubilee to be one of the channels but when he was asked for a better idea, the only one he could come up with was Pyro. Charles was sure he could get Magneto to agree to allow Pyro to participate but he doubted the fire controlling mutants' ability to behave during the mission. So the decision was made to allow Jubilee to go.

She spent the better part of two days crowing in pleasure. Late on the second day, Piper decided to knock her down a peg and called a low power fire elemental during a Danger Room exercise and channel it through the hyper teens' body.

"You need to concentrate and control your emotions Jubilee," she told her as she picked the shaken girl up off the Danger Room floor. "The elemental is fueled by your emotions. If you can control them, the elemental will be controlled as well."

"What did ya do ta me," Jubilee asked in a shaky voice.

"I channeled a low power elemental through you," she told her. "It won't be like that when we do this for real. The elemental I will call will be a full power fire elemental. If you can't control this one, you won't be able to control the big one."

What about the others?" she demanded. "Do they know how to control their elementals?

"Ororo calls an elemental every time she raises a storm," Piper told her. "Bobby is a living, walking, prank playing elemental himself. They won't have any trouble with control. Chad is stronger that everyone thinks. He uses elemental power to make things grow. He just needs a little self confidence. You, however, have no relationship to the elements. Your power is light. High intensity light, I give you that, but light just the same. Light is part of fire so you are the only choice we have. You also need to get a little of your own back with these people so you can take back your life."

Jubilee left the Danger Room deep in thought. Logan came down from the control room in a temper. 

"Did ya hafta do that?" he demanded. "She coulda been killed."

"She was becoming too cocky, Logan," Piper told him calmly. "She's very open emotionally. She needs to know why she's controlling her emotions. This was the only way she could learn."

"Leave her alone Wolvie," Jubilees' voice came from the door. "She did what needed ta be done."

"Ya coulda been killed," he yelled.

"Nah," Jubilee waved him away. "It was warm and kinda tickled. I just let it control me instead of me controlling it. I'll know better next time."

Piper shot him an 'I told you so' look and left.

By the end of the fourth day, they were ready. Everyone knew what to expect and where they were to stand. The spell was ready, the players were ready. Now to find out if the guest of honor was ready.

Scott and Jean flew the four elemental mutants, Logan, the Charmed Ones and Leo back to the house for the confrontation. The others questioned why Leo was accompanying them. Piper explained that once Leo has seen a demon, he can locate it again even years later. He was along to keep Morlin from surprising them.

The jet landed with a soft thump and the group deplaned into the dark night.

"Good luck every one," Jean told them. "We'll be here when you're finished."

"Logan," Scott said, "try to come back alive."

"I'll do my best, fearless leader," he assured him.

"Go back into the jet," Phoebe told Scott and Jean. "We don't need to worry about you."

"Where is he Leo?" Paige asked him.

"He's in the house," Leo told her. "Be careful, Piper. The boys need their mother."

"I will," she told her husband. She kissed him deeply. "Go back to the plane." she said as she broke the kiss.

They waited until the ramp was secured and crept off into the trees. Ororo took to the air. The others separated and made their way to the clearing. Logan and the Charmed Ones stayed together and made a frontal approach.

They stood in the clearing, Logan in front, the witches in a line behind.

"Morlin," Piper yelled. "Come out you baby killing coward."

Morlin shimmered into the clearing. "Ah, the witches," he sneered. "My acolytes tell me you are the Charmed Ones. It does not matter. You will do as I bid just as all the other had done."

Bobby stepped out of the trees and placed a crystal on the ground. Chad slipped out of the cover and placed another crystal on the ground. Ororo landed and placed her crystal on the ground. Logan stepped forward and placed his crystal. Jubilee walked up and placed the last crystal and the cage was complete. Light flashed from the heart of each crystal and joined over his head, preventing him from shimmering away to safety. His eyes grew wide in surprise and fear.

"You took my life from me," Jubilee said serenely. "I have come to take it back."

"You have taken the innocence of the child I consider my heat and soul," Logan said calmly. "I have come to avenge that loss."

"You have killed a man I consider my brother," Bobby said. "I am here for revenge."

"You have shattered my family," Ororo said quietly. "I come for retribution."

"You have sullied my world with hate," Chad announced. "I am here to end it.

Piper began the incantations that will end the hate and death.

"I call on the elements to help us out I ask that they choose the appropriate route Wind and fire and water and earth We wait here for you to give you birth.

The four elemental mutants began to glow with inner fire. Raising their arms to the air, the fire shot out of them and into the sky where it joined. Logan stepped forward and raised his thick arms, claws out.

"Focus you elements upon this man Give him the power to end this here.

The joined fire flashed down and struck Logan in the chest. He bucked under the onslaught, falling to his knees, staying down for two minutes to gather his strength.

"It didn't work, witch," Morlin crowed. "The power killed him. He's useless."

Logans' head snapped up, his eyes glowing with purple fire. "We are alive." It was his voice, but the voice of others as well. It resonated across the clearing, shaking the windows of the house. "Long have we watched you demon, and waited for someone strong enough to invoke us. That time has come. Today, you die." He rose to his feet.

The Charmed Ones gasped with surprise. The knew the elementals were sentient but never expected they would be as anxious for Morlins' death as they were. This was very unexpected. They quickly began to mutter the spell that would increase the strength of the elementals.

Logan stepped forward as the fire increased in heat, light, wind and earth. He felt large and powerful. The elementals whispered to him, telling him what he needed to do, how he needed to move.

"You have terrorized our children for centuries upon centuries. We can no longer tolerate this. Your hate ends now." He stepped through the energy and into the cage. Morlins' face was a study in fear. He knew he was going to die.

Logan's right hand snapped out, his claws biting deeply into Morlins' face. "This human has asked that you do not die easily. We agree with him. You will die slowly and in great pain." The hands flashed out again and his arms fell to the ground. "You have used sacred symbols to terrorize and spread hate." The claws flashed again, opening three long gashes in his right leg. "You have raped, forcing innocent women to bier your offspring." The claws opened the other cheek. You have spilled human blood simply for your own pleasure." Logans' left hand slammed into his abdomen, claws driving deep. Black blood pooled around his feet. "For all this and more, you do not deserve to continue living." Logan whirled around, his arms wide, claws out and Morlins' head fell to the ground with a hollow thump. Black fire consumed the body as hell reclaimed it's own.

The elemental fire from the mutants flashed and disappeared. Piper ran forward and kicked a crystal out of position and the cage collapsed. The mutants were on all fours, gasping for breaths but alive. The Charmed Ones walked carefully up to Logan. His eyes still held the purple fire of elemental possession.

"We have been waiting for many centuries for the Charmed Ones. We knew they would be the ones to call us so that we may rid ourselves of a blight we have watched since time began. We thank you for your help."

"We are glad that we could help," Phoebe said awed. "Will Logan survive your possession?"

"This mutant is very strong," the voices said. "He will survive and remember everything that has happened today."

"And the others?" Paige asked

"They will also survive with their memories intact. The mutant known as Jubilee has had her memories altered slightly to make her trauma less intense. She will still remember what happened but will no longer have dreams that terrorize her nights."

"We thank you," Piper said, "and we release you." Logan crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

The human acolytes piled out of the house, their eyes wide with fear. "You killed him," a heavy set man yelled.

Piper turned on him. "We killed a demon that has been controlling your minds. He has fed on your hate for a long time. He made sure you hated mutants so could feed him. You have to ask yourselves if that hate was real or caused by a demon. Mutants have never done anything to you. Look into your hearts and ask yourself if you want to continue hating when a demon was the one that put it there in the first place."

There was a grumbling from the crowd but they didn't attack. Slowly, the crowd dispersed and the witches and mutants were alone in the clearing.

"Will he be okay?" Jubilee asked worried for her mentor.

"He'll be fine," Piper assured her. "He was the focus for the elementals and had a lot of power flowing through him. He just needs some time to recover and get used to feeling small again."

"Boy, I understand that," Bobby said in wonder. "I felt huge. I've never pulled that much power before"

"Nor have I," Ororo said. "I have called Jean to help us get Logan back to the jet. We will not be able to carry him. He is much heavier than he looks."

"Why is that, Phoebe asked.

"He didn't tell you?" Jubilee asked. Phoebe shook her head. "The Canadian government kidnapped him and experimented on him. They poured molten adamantium into his body and it deposited on his bones."

"That's disgusting," Paige gasped in horror.

"They wanted to make him a living weapon," Ororo said sadly. "They found out they couldn't control him after he killed most of the people on the base where he was held. They occasionally attempt to take him back."

"Good for him," Phoebe growled as Jean and Scott ran into the clearing.

"Is he alive?" Scott asked.

"He is," Paige told him.

"Let's go home," Jubilee yawned. "I'm exhausted." Piper gathered up the crystals and returned them to their box.

Jean lifted Logan in a telekinetic bubble and the group returned to the jet and started for the mansion. This time, there were no injuries, just five exhausted mutants The Charmed Ones didn't feel particularly tired but they understood why the others did. They made everyone comfortable and let them sleep on the trip home.

Logan awoke late the next afternoon feeling like a stranger in his own body. Walking was difficult, dressing even worse. He felt too small and clumsy. Jubilee sat on his bed, chattering excitedly about the mission. She agreed that it was difficult to return to her real size but assured Logan that he would feel more normal in a few hours. Every team member and all three witches stopped by to see how he was doing. He was starting to wish they had left him in the clearing. He would have more privacy that way. When Leo stopped by, he asked Jubilee to leave. Leo locked the door behind her as she huffed out the door.

"They can be too much," Leo remarked.

"Ain't that the truth," Logan agreed with a small laugh. Leo flopped onto the sofa and looked at Logan closely.

"Still feeling strange?" he asked.

"It's getting better," Logan told him. "My arms are too short, my head too far away from the ceiling but I suppose that will go away."

"It should."

"Wyatt," Logan began, "do they do this all the time?"

"Vanquish a major demon?"

"Yeah."

"Their lives are never dull, or even safe. They expect to have to fight every time they leave the manor. It's the life of a witch."

"Do ya worry about Piper and the boys?"

"Every moment of every day. I worry even when they're home and safe. It's part of loving someone."

"Are they ever attacked because of what you are?"

"I became an Elder not long ago. There have been a number of attacks that were aimed to make me do something."

"Do ya ever feel they'd be better off without ya?"

"Yeah," Leo sighed, "sometimes. But then I realize, I can protect them better if I'm close so I stay."

Logan was silent for a long time, thinking.

"Don't leave her, Logan," Leo said softly. "She needs you." He got up and dropped his hand on Logans' shoulder. "And you need her more." He unlocked the door and left.

Piper and Paige packed their things for the trip home. Paige would orb home on her own. Piper and Leo would pick up the boys and return home later. Phoebe surprised them by announcing that she would remain at the mansion to help Logan recover and to train with him when he was able.

"You can orb me back if I'm needed but I can't miss the opportunity to train with Logan," she told her sisters. "He can teach me so much."

"Don't stay away for long." Piper told her with a kiss and a hug. "I'll miss you too much."

"I'll call every week," she promised.

"I'll come see you next weekend," Paige said. "I'll also tell your boss that you'll be working from home for a while."

"Thanks sis," she said, hugging her youngest sister tightly. Paige stepped back and orbed.

"Behave yourself," Leo warned.

"Never," Phoebe laughed. Leo wrapped his arms around Piper and orbed away. Phoebe turned and returned to her room, excited about the weeks to come in the company of good friends.

Fin

A/N: I have enjoyed writing this story for the past few weeks. It was almost like having the Charmed Ones sitting on my shoulder telling me the story as I typed. I have enjoyed their visit and their stint as my guest muses. I would like to thank every one that read and reviewed the story. Feedback makes a tale much better. Thanks and God bless. 


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